Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 23: SOS International and MJR-47, Movement for Justice for Refugees of 1947 from POK have strongly reacted to the meeting of the PCC delegation with the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and said that they have no much hopes as the Congress has once again tried to consume time and befool the refugees.
A spokesman of the MJR-47 said, “better late than never”. After ignoring the issue of compensation and settlement of PoK refugees for the last 65 years and then sleeping over even on the Parliamentary and State Assembly election manifesto, the J&K PCC high powered delegation meeting with Union ministers and top party leadership is welcome step. It is also nice to hear that Union Govt has decided to frame a committee to examine the issues before going for one time settlement. He said refugees’ issue has always remained the manifestoes of the Congress party and how much they acted every body knows.
Lest it comes with some pre-planned recommendations, a fresh high level committee would be another eyewash or time gaining exercise to keep the issue still pending. The report of GD Wadhwa Commission, which was special set up for making recommendations for relief and rehabilitation of refugees of PoK (1947) and Displaced persons from West Pakistan is still gathering dust in Civil Secretariat for years. The recent report by the Central Interlocutors on J&K with some recommendations for refugees is lying in the almirahs of the Central Government without any action, he added,
“Can the High Powered JKPCC delegation explain as to who examined the earlier proposal for a package of Rs 1700 crores and recommended for a revised enhanced package? Nobody talked of this package since it was heard to be given to the PM Dr Manmohan Singh during his short visit to Jammu,’’ the spokesman maintained.
No doubt Congress is the major party in the Centre and ruling alliance in J&K, yet the intentions of this exercise by the JKPCC becomes suspicious when they go to the Union Government without any specific recommendations from the State Government as they had done with the KP migrants demands of enhancing their relief and compensation. The refugees body does not carry much hope from this move of the JKPCC and strongly demands that Group of Ministers with full powers to implement and not only make recommendations, is formed to go into this whole exercise and till such all the benefits being given to displaced persons from Kashmir valley be extended to all DPs/ refugees from other parts of J&K state/ PoK.
SOS chairman Rajiv Chuni while reacting to the move of JKPCC said that once again they have attempted to dodge the refugees. Though refugees welcome this move, yet they doubt any positive outcome of this exercise. At this point when nearly 65 years have lapsed, there seems to be lack of wisdom and sincerity in announcing another committee for this purpose. Every one knows the fate of Wadhwa Committee Report and not much hope is being expected from yet another committee. He said different categories of refugees be dealt differently and intermingling the issues of all is yet another attempt to create confusion.
Now, if the Central Government is serious about solving PoK refugees’ problem then only an Inter-ministerial committee of Central Government can be useful in this regard, Mr Chuni maintained.
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